Specially Marked Boxes

One of these things is not like the other!

Publix had Mini-Wheats buy 1 get 1 free this last week. My sister had a $5/5 coupon and I had a $1 off fruit coupon when you buy 2 Kellogg's cereal. We decided to combine our coupons and split the deal since our stockpiles had some cereal already. We ended up paying $1.25 a box which is a higher than my usual "buy" price. As I was putting the boxes away I realized that 2 of them mentioned a promotion on the front. I had already bought 2 specially marked boxes a few weeks ago (Harris Teeter Triples!) and had already entered their codes online.

Now I have enough to redeem for a $5 prepaid Visa card for gas or $5 in movie concession cash!

So...
Next time you're at the store, check for specially marked packages when making your selections. I especially like the ones that mention "coupons inside".

Fresh Fruit At Low Prices

Rainier cherries, blueberries and mangoes

I usually only buy a fruit when it is at it's lowest price. This happens coincidentally when it's in season. Bananas are the exception for me since they are usually very reasonable. (Keep an eye out for marked down brown bananas which are great for banana bread.) This week Publix had some produce at my "buy" prices.

The blueberries were on sale for $1.50 a pint. We like adding them to our cereal, yogurt and smoothies. They are also great in muffins and pancakes. At this price we buy extra to freeze and use later.

Mangoes were on sale for 89cents each. I buy them when they are $1 or less. We eat them cut up in cubes for a snack. I will use them in smoothies this week too.

Rainier Cherries were buy 1 get 1 free making them $2.99 for a 1 pound container. These are a new fruit to us.

Today is the last day to get these prices at our store on Amelia Island. If they are sold out be sure to stop by the customer service desk and request a raincheck. Rainchecks let you get the item for the sale price at a later time. Each grocery store has different policies on how long rainchecks are good so check with your store.

Remember that you can get these deals at Walmart too (if a Publix is near by) since they price match.

There are some produce that I don't know the best price to buy them at yet. I plan to start tracking those prices and adding them to my price sheet.

Eating from the stockpile



Simple lunch


Today's lunch was simple but what I liked about it most was that it came from my stockpile.

Yesterday I did some "shopping" in my freezer to prepare for this week. I pulled out the things that we had run out of in the fridge:

Bread- I bought it when it was buy 1 get 1 free. It defrosts in the fridge overnight. It tends to be a little stiff afterwards but after about 10 seconds in the microwave it's just right.

Ham- Bought for $1.50 after sale and coupons.

Turkey and Provolone Cheese- Purchased at Harris Teeter. Buy 2 Get 3 free.

The only item I purchased this week was the fresh spinach. (Publix $2) The Pepperidge Farm cracker chips, mayo, and pickles are all things I keep a stock of on my pantry shelf.

So...
Stock up on your weekly used items when they are on sale. If you do this, then everything you need for a simple lunch is always within arms reach.